Love and Marriage
by falafel90
Summary: "Burt and I are getting married." How does Finn take the news that his mother is getting remarried? And how does Rachel fit into all of this? Finchel, one-shot.


**A/N:** I've been working on this for about a week now, and I'm not totally sure I'm happy with it. But it's complete, so I figured I'd post it. Enjoy! Read and review!

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own Glee, nor do I own the Frank Sinatra song that the title is based off of.

* * *

As Carole Hudson places a piece of lemon chicken on Finn's plate on night at dinner, she tells Finn bluntly, "Burt and I are getting married." She says it with a hesitant smile, and Finn wonders if she tells him without Burt and Kurt around because she's worried about how he will react. He thinks back to when she announced that they were moving in together, how shocking and sudden it all seemed, how he reacted only days later, and he doesn't blame her. He knows he isn't the most accepting of change.

But his mom and Kurt's dad getting married…at this point, he can't be surprised. It's early August and it's been two months since he and his mom moved back in with the Hummels. The two of them are old and he gets it—they don't want to wait.

He coughs awkwardly and picks up his fork and knife.

"Congratulations," he says weakly. He knows he should be happy, at the very least, because his mom's happy, but he still feels uncomfortable around Burt. Finn's not quite sure he's been forgiven, and he refuses to ask him—he doesn't want to bring up bad memories. He knows everything's with Kurt has been rectified (his stint as a Lady Gaga doppelganger helped to convince Kurt that he was, indeed, truly sorry), but Burt's another story altogether. "When…when's the wedding?"

His mother sits down at the table after serving herself, and sighs.

"Well," she says after a minute, "I know it's soon, but we were thinking that it would be best to do it just before Labor Day. You know, so it won't interfere with school for both you and Kurt." Finn nods, but doesn't say anything. He stabs his chicken with a fork, and begins to cut himself a bite-sized piece.

Carole knows that Finn is uncomfortable with the idea of her marrying Burt because he's eating his food at the speed of a normal human being and not devouring it like a starved animal.

"Honey," she says, taking his hand in her own, "what's wrong?" He doesn't look at her and tries to pull his hand back. She doesn't let him. "I know it's always been the two of us, mom and son, against the world, but…and you know this doesn't mean I love your father any less." Her eyes are sympathetic, understanding, and accepting.

"Nothing," Finn says with a forced smile. "I'm happy that you're happy." It's not _completely_ a lie, as he wants to feel that way. He wants to be happy that she's happy. But all he feels is discomfort. Although he's pretty confident that Burt adores his mother, that he would do anything for her, he's not so confident that Burt adores him. In fact, he's almost positive that Burt feels entirely the opposite.

Finn thinks he might even be pleased with this whole marriage business if he knew Burt didn't absolutely hate him.

* * *

The next day, Finn picks Rachel up from her house at ten-thirty in the morning—sharp, of course, because he knows how his girlfriend is a stickler for time—so that they can spend the day together. Since Regionals, they spend most days together. He's quite sure he wants to spend every day for the rest of his life with her.

They drive to the mall in his beat up red pick-up truck, and she spends the entire ride detailing her audition for the local theater's production of _Funny Girl_. He tries to listen, he really does, but Finn is so distracted by his mother's news that he ends up unintentionally tuning her out. When she is forced to call out his name three times to get his attention, he feels guilty.

"I'm sorry, Rach," he says, pulling into a parking space. He barely noticed that they made it to the mall. He sits there sadly, looking broken, and Rachel rubs his shoulder. "I'm just…distracted." He runs a hand through his hair and breathes in deeply. "My mom and Kurt's dad are getting married." Rachel's brow furrows.

"I thought…I mean, Finn, you and your mother are living with Kurt and his father…you expected it, didn't you?" She runs her hand up and down his arm soothingly, trying to understand.

"I did, I did," Finn says, turning toward Rachel and looking into her eyes. He takes her hand into the both of his, the one that's not rubbing his arm, and caresses it. "Just…remember how I told you about…you know," he says, raising his eyebrows. At first, she's not sure what he's referring to, as Finn's told her so much—so many uncomfortable things that Finn would refer to as 'you know'—over the past few months, that she can't decipher what exactly he's hinting at. But then it hits her.

"Burt doesn't still hate you for that, if that's what you're thinking, Finn," Rachel says knowingly. Finn, just for a second, marvels at how quickly she knew what he was thinking.

"How do you know?" he asks. His tone is innocent, child-like. She shrugs.

"I'm at your house for dinner nearly every other night," she says with a smile. He grins back, knowing that he's over her house the nights that she's not at his, and they share a moment. Her fathers call them inseparable, and his mother calls them Joanie and Chachi, whoever they are, but he simply calls them soul mates (not to anyone but Rachel, of course, because he knows his mom would mock him and his fellow team mates on the football team would break his jaw).

"I don't think I get it," Finn says finally, though still smiling.

"I can tell. I mean," she says, looking up at the roof of the car, "I think you guys need to talk about everything still because you really haven't explored the situation in the depth that it deserves. But, at the same time, I'm pretty sure he has cooled off since the situation." She sighs, and then says, "And I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Kurt told his father after you created that wildly theatrical Lady Gaga costume from your mother's shower curtain that the reason you felt the need to"—Rachel becomes slightly stiff—"use ignorant homosexual slurs—which, no matter what the situation, Finn, is horrid—was because he had a very apparent crush on you." She clears her throat. "So, although I don't think you're his first choice for his best man, I believe he understands that what you said was a thoughtless mistake made in the heat of the moment." She kisses his hand as he takes in all of this information. "Just don't tell Kurt I told you that he told his father. He only confided in me because of my two gay dads. I think he felt that I would understand his situation the most. Also, I was one of the few people privy to his adoration of you—though it certainly isn't hard for the average person to discern."

"Wait—why would he tell you that he liked me?" Finn asks with a puzzled look on his face. Everything else she told him made sense (well, minus a few vocabulary words that he thinks she threw in there just to confuse him), but this…doesn't Kurt hate Rachel? "He's not exactly your biggest fan, Rach."

He doesn't expect her to blush and stare at her feet.

"Remember that day when I invited you over to my house and I put on that black spandex suit and suggested we sing _You're the One That I Want_?"

"Of course," Finn says, also blushing at the memory. He remembered that day all right. He's pretty sure, thinking back, that that day was the day he had really fallen hard for her. When he was telling her he loved her sequined leg warmers, he realized that he had it bad.

"Well, Kurt was the one who had given me that makeover—after you told him that you liked natural looking girls and after I told him that I had a crush on you," she said. "It was then I realized he liked you—a lot." She glances up at Finn, but quickly looks away. "After that, we sort of had a mutual understanding that, even though we both liked you, we both could never have you because of Quinn and the baby." Finn knows that Quinn is still a touchy subject for Rachel, and he doesn't blame her. With everything that's happened, he can't possibly blame her.

"I know I've told you this before, Rach," Finn says, his voice growing a bit huskier, "but I want to tell you again." He pulls her close, so that her head rests on his chest. "I liked you while I was dating Quinn. And had Quinn not gotten pregnant…I'm pretty sure I would've eventually broken up with her for you. Because I liked you—like-liked you—after I first heard you sing and after we kissed on the stage when you made that picnic."

Rachel doesn't say anything, but she sits up and turns to face him. She stares into his eyes for a moment, her own slightly watery, and kisses him demurely. It's sweet and filled with love. Seconds later, when the kiss is over and their lips tingle, she puts her head back on his chest.

"You think…you really think Burt's…okay with me?" Finn has trouble believing that Burt isn't still angry—he was _so_ mad before—but he knows that if nothing else, Rachel is honest, and she wouldn't say something she didn't wholeheartedly mean.

"I think you need to talk everything out," Rachel says. "But I also think he understands more than you think he does." Finn nods his head.

"I love you," he says to her. The statement, which had made him so nervous to say aloud at Regionals, has become second nature.

"I love you, too," she replies. They sit together for a few more minutes, taking in each other, before heading into the mall.

* * *

Two days later, Finn gets up the nerve to talk to Burt, to clear the air. "Don't worry," he imagines Rachel saying, "I'm sure he wants to talk about it, too." There are so many things he wants to say, but he's not sure he'll actually be able to say any of them. He wants to let Burt know that he's sorry, that he's not a monster, that he will never say anything like that ever again. He wants to say that, although he was upset, he knows he was wrong, absolutely wrong.

And he wants Burt to forgive him. Because, besides Schue, he is the closest thing to a father figure he has.

When Burt and him sit down at the kitchen table together, Finn doesn't know how to start. But, without having said a word, Burt pats him on the back, tells him he knows. In a low voice, he says meaningfully, "Thanks for sticking up for him. You know, for the whole shower curtain thing. Kurt told me. Maybe you really are a new generation of dude." Finn scratches his neck, not knowing what to say. He's touched that, after everything, Burt would say something so nice.

"I'm sorry," Finn blurts out, and he knows it's late, and he knows it didn't make much of a difference before, but he thinks that maybe it will now. "For everything. I know I was wrong. I really, honestly do." By the way Burt looks at him, Finn knows Burt knows he means it.

"I know," Burt says. He adjusts his baseball cap. "I know." Clearing his throat, he asks, "You want to watch _Deadliest Catch_? I hear there's a marathon on." And Finn knows that's Burt's way of saying everything's going to be okay.

Later, when he sees his mom, he says to her with a genuine smile, that he's happy she's found someone to spend her life with. His mom tears up and pulls him into the biggest hug she can muster. It lasts a good two minutes.

Breaking away from Finn, Carole wipes at her eyes and says, "I'm going to the supermarket later. Is there anything Rachel or you want this week?"

* * *

When September rolls around, he's surprised that his mother's managed to make the sort of arrangements she did. In such a short amount of time, she printed wedding invitations, hired a DJ, bought flowers, and booked a room for the reception at the Marriott. He's never seen her so excited, and that makes Finn feel good. His mother's given up so much for him, and now, after sixteen years, she gets something—or someone—that she wants.

Kurt sews her wedding dress. Finn knew he could sew (his Lady Gaga costume was brilliant), but when he sees the dress, which is a simple light yellow creation, he realizes that Kurt can _sew_. He can sew real things for real people. Finn's sure Kurt's found his calling. When he tells Kurt all this, Kurt gets misty-eyed, but shrugs it off as if it meant nothing to him.

"What do you expect? It's me we're talking about, Finn. I'm spectacular."

Rachel, of course, is invited to the wedding. His mother invites her over dinner one night, saying, "Though we are really only looking to have a small party, you're one of the family, dear. Sometimes I feel like I see you more than I see Finn!" Rachel laughs, and Finn squeezes her hand. He loves that his mom loves her, and he loves that Rachel loves his mom.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson," she replies, but then corrects herself. "I mean, Carole." The two of them share smiles, and later, Rachel confides that she's almost come to see his mom as her own.

"You know," she says, staring at her hands, "because I never really had one." He knows Shelby never counted. She is her mother, but she will never be her mom. Finn is positive there's a difference.

* * *

When the day arrives, Carole bustles around the house, trying to get everything together. Burt isn't there—he stayed at a friend's house because, even though this is the second marriage for both of them, they want to stick to tradition. Which means no Burt. Finn thinks Kurt might have had something to do with it.

Rachel arrives early, dressed in her regular clothes, so that she can help Kurt prepare Carole for the big event. When she rings the doorbell, he's in his pajamas and still half asleep. He's surprised to see her at—is it _really_ only seven?—and he tells her so.

"The wedding doesn't start until four," he says. "Not that I'm not happy you're over." He leans down and kisses her lightly. "We can hang out for a bit in my room," he says, and Rachel's pretty sure he intended something suggestive with that.

"I'm not here to hang out with you, Finn," Rachel says with a smirk. She pats his chest and says, "I brought hair products and curlers over that Kurt requested." She pushes past him and, with her back turned as she walks to Carole's room, shouts, "I'm here to help your mom!"

Finn, who is still rather groggy, just smiles and stumbles back to his room so he can get another hour or two of sleep.

* * *

Rachel does Carole's hair, while Kurt does her make-up. Carole, who is already emotional, thinks that her son picked a great girl and nearly starts to tear up. (And, though she would never say it out loud, she never liked Quinn.) The three of them bond, and even though Kurt has always had his issues with Rachel, he is clearly beginning to warm up to her—after all, it is his soon-to-be-step-brother's girlfriend.

* * *

Another hour or two of sleep turns into five and it would have been more had Rachel not barged into Finn's room with a suit saying, "I just love your mom. I wish I had a mom like yours." Finn rolls over, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, and Rachel taps her foot.

"Really, you're not awake yet?" He shrugs, wiping his face and standing up. He walks over to her and leans down to give her a quick peck, but she puts her hand on his face.

"What?" he asks playfully, raising an eyebrow. "You're not going to let me kiss you?"

"I kissed you when I first got here, and I'm only going to let your morning breath slide once. Until you brush your teeth, you aren't getting any kisses from me," she explains. She moves her hand away, and attempts to walk away, but he pulls her back and twists her around, and latches his lips on her. Hard. He can feel her smile, and he's guessing she can feel his. She grabs the ends of his hair and tugs softly, and he slips one hand behind her neck and the other on her waist. Morning breath or not, Rachel seems eager, Finn thinks.

But then suddenly she breaks the kiss, and says, giggling, "Cheater. Go brush your teeth while I set out your suit. I bought you a tie that matches my dress so that we'll look adorable and put-together." Finn shoots Rachel a skeptical look, and she rolls her eyes. "If Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears can wear matching denim outfits in public, you can wear a tie that matches my dress, Finn. And, honestly, Kurt was the one who suggested it."

"I didn't say a word!" Finn says, raising his hands up in the air defensively.

Rachel narrows her eyes, and Finn knows she's playing with him because, despite attempting to hold back a grin, the left side of her mouth is slightly upturned. She lasts only seconds, and the two end up chuckling softly. After their amusement dies down, Rachel, in lieu of the ticking clock, returns to business.

"While you're in the bathroom brushing your teeth, why don't you shower?" He nods, but when he doesn't move, Rachel says, "What, are you waiting for a formal invitation? Go!" She starts pushing him out the door. "I'll put your clothes on the bed, but then I have to go get dressed myself. Kurt and I are going to get ready together in his room."

"And leave me to get dressed all by myself?" Finn smirks, Rachel flushes.

"Go!" she says, and he kisses her one more time before he slips into the bathroom. As he closes the door, she shouts, "And, really! Brush! Your! Teeth!" She can hear him laughing from behind the bathroom door.

* * *

"I really think peach is your color, Rachel," Kurt says, watching Rachel do a twirl in front of him. With one hand on his chin, and the other on his waist, he nods in approval. "It does wonders for your complexion."

"Thanks," Rachel replies. "And your navy blue pin-striped suit is quite stunning, too."

Kurt's eyelashes flutter quickly, and with a hand on his chest, he says, "Why, thank you. It's Marc Jacobs." He pushes his hair out of his face and sighs. After a minute, before he can stop himself, words tumble out of mouth, "You're not so bad, Rachel."

"Neither are you, Kurt."

"I'm happy you're dating Finn. I think he's finally happy." Rachel knows that this means a lot (a _lot_) coming from Kurt, and Rachel is touched. So touched, in fact, that she starts bawling.

"Thank you, Kurt. That means _so_ much to me after everything that's happened between us," she weeps, and before Kurt knows it, he's wrapped in the arms of one Rachel Berry. He rubs her back, and Rachel's tears slow after a minute.

"You shouldn't thank me for that, I'm just telling the truth—what you should be thanking me for is reminding you to wear waterproof mascara," he says, and though he cracks jokes, Kurt, for the first time, kind of _likes_ Rachel Berry. He supposes he should, considering he has a feeling Finn and her are going to be, forevermore, attached at the hip.

When Finn sees Rachel in her dress—a knee length, dressy frock—he forgets to breathe. She's never looked so beautiful (except, perhaps, when he sees her in her pajamas with her hair sticking up everywhere, wearing no make-up at all—that's when she's just _her_, just _Rachel_). When he was a kid, he hated those stupid movies where man would stare at the girl with a dopey look on his face—girls had cooties, _duh_, and that man was risking infection! He is sure, though, that the look on his face is even more hopeless.

The only thing he can utter is, "I brushed my teeth."

Rachel knows that means, "You look stunning and I really, _really_ want to kiss you." She understands Finn _that_ well.

* * *

When Finn arrives at the hotel, the first thing he does is search for Burt. He wants to tell him that he's happy for him, that he's happy that they're going to be a family, and that he knows he can make his mother proud.

It takes him a while, but he finds him pacing in the men's bathroom, nervously pacing.

"How much longer till the ceremony?" Burt asks, looking up at Finn.

"Twenty minutes. Give or take," Finn answers. He sticks his hands in his pockets, but takes them out a second later to fiddle with his peach colored tie (a tie only Rachel could get him to wear).

"I love her, Finn," Burt says. "So much." It's heartfelt and warm and sweet.

It's Finn's turn to say, "I know." And Finn does know. He really does. Because if he didn't love his mom, then he wouldn't have been able to get past what Finn said. He wouldn't have been able to forgive Finn, and he wouldn't have ever let Finn back in his house. Though he knows Burt honestly means it when he says he's grateful for what Finn did for Kurt—and Finn's pretty sure he actually _has_ gotten over the incident—he knows that it was all because Burt loves his mom. Burt did it for Carole. And Finn's absolutely _certain_ that's love.

"I'll take care of her," Burt tells Finn. "And, kid, I'll take care of you, too."

Finn nods and adjusts his tie again.

"Thanks."

Burt just nods, and together, the two exit the bathroom.

* * *

The ceremony is sweet. Burt and Carole stand together, alone, at the front of the room. A minister pronounces them husband and wife, and Finn who sits beside both Rachel and Kurt in the front row, is so, _so_ happy that his mom found someone who can make her smile the way she is smiling at this very moment.

Rachel rests her head on his shoulder, while Kurt blows his nose loudly into a tissue.

"They're just so…_perfect_," Kurt whispers through sobs. "And Carole's dress, if I do say so myself, looks absolutely gorgeous on her."

Finn smiles at Kurt and shakes his head in agreement, but then turns to Rachel.

"I just…thank you, Rach, for everything." Finn's not sure if he's clear on what he means, but Rachel seems to understand that he's grateful for her help with Burt.

"It's no problem. That's what girlfriend's do."

As Burt and Carole kiss chastely in front of the small audience of friends and relatives, Finn kisses Rachel's hand and says, "I love you." Truthfully, he's never meant it more.

As the newlyweds leave the room and everyone begins to head toward the reception, Kurt, while patting his eyes dry, says, "Well, I for one am pleased. You took my suggestion to match your dress and tie. You two look positively splendid."

The reception is filled with dancing. Rachel drags Finn out onto the dance floor for every slow song, and Kurt drags the two of them out onto the dance floor for every fast song. Between his girlfriend and his step-brother, Finn thinks he might drop dead of exhaustion.

The three of them sit with Carole and Burt at their table for dinner, and it's a riot. Though Burt and Carole have to make the rounds, they sit and eat and talk for a good fifteen minutes.

"Carole, you look beautiful," Rachel says.

"Thank you, darling. And you and Finn look so cute, matching and all!" Finn blushes and fiddles with his tie. Kurt beams.

Later, when Finn and Rachel are slow dancing, Rachel asks, "So…are you happy?"

"Yeah, I think I am. After everything, I really think I am." Rachel nods.

"And you see? Burt forgave you before. Nothing to worry about." Finn pulls her tighter to him, and brushes a stray hair out of her eyes.

"You were right," Finn says. He has a feeling that he's going to be saying that for years to come.

"Of course I was." Finn just laughs and kisses her forehead.

They both fail to see Kurt run over to the DJ and excitedly suggest something.

Minutes later, _Faithfully_ is blaring from the speakers and Kurt is smirking.

Rachel and Finn don't say anything when it starts. They bask in the comfort and warmth that the song holds for them. Finn holds Rachel a little closer and Rachel shuts her eyes, remembering Regionals.

Eventually, Finn says in a low voice, "You know, I like our version better."

Rachel teases him. "Why? This is the original!"

"You know why," he says. "Their version might be the original, but we sang our version out of love."

It takes all of her strength for Rachel not to make-out with Finn right there on the dance floor. How did she get this lucky?

They're silent for the rest of the song, but Finn can't help but think that, if he and Rachel ever get married, this would have to be the song for their first dance. He doesn't say it, though, because they've only been dating for a few months, and wouldn't it be a little presumptuous to say that Rachel's going to want to be with him in future years? (He doesn't question whether he would want to be with her because he knows that he'll always love Rachel.)

What he doesn't know is that Rachel's thinking the same thing. (And she doesn't question whether she would want to be with him because she knows that she'll always love Finn.)


End file.
